Numerous coupling devices have been provided for the connecting of electrical conductors such as coaxial cables, twisted conductor pairs and other multiconductor transmission lines, both shielded and unshielded. Generally, these couplings or connectors consist of two interconnectable halves, each half being permanently attached to a cable or transmission line.
The bulk of the following remarks pertain and refer to coaxial cable connectors, however such a description is similar to that of prior art shielded and unshielded multiconductor cable connectors. Coaxial connectors are typically either "straight" or "right angle" connectors. In the case of the straight connector, the connector contacts are mated together in a straight in-line direction. The right angle connector is used when it is desired to turn the coaxial cables in a 90.degree. turn at the point where the two halves of the connector are coupled. Such right angle connectors generally utilize one of the connector halves in the form of a 90.degree. elbow, such that the 90.degree. turn is made entirely within that connector half.
The physical differences between the two connector assemblies require the purchasing and storing of ample numbers of each type. Furthermore, a cable once terminated to a "straight angle" connector half cannot be coupled to another cable such that a "straight" coupling results. Furthermore, the right angle connector halves are far more complex and costly than the straight connectors. This complexity is due to the fact that the inner and outer conductive elements must concurrently turn at right angles, the electrical isolation between the conductive elements being held constant. These complex requirements inevitably result in a more costly connector construction, and increase the likelihood of connector malfunction. As a corollary of the complexity of traditional right angle connector construction, the terminating of the coaxial cable to the right angle connector half, and the coupling of the right angle connector, are generally more difficult as compared with a straight connector. Additionally, the electrical connection produced by such traditional connectors may be difficult to test as the inner connection is generally fully shielded. Such a limitation is primarily a problem of straight connectors, due to the greater frequency of use of such connectors.